Stranded

“Where is she, Chloe?” Julian’s voice cut through the early morning silence, low and urgent, as his eyes darted around the empty cabin.

Chloe swallowed hard, rubbing her palms nervously against the hem of her nightgown. “I—I don’t know what you mean,” she stammered, her gaze fixed stubbornly on the floorboards, refusing to meet his eyes.

Ares stepped forward, towering over her, his chest rising and falling with barely restrained fury. His hair was unkempt from sleep, ...